


Sleepyhead

by Andalbrask



Category: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, M/M, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 16:28:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19254916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andalbrask/pseuds/Andalbrask
Summary: Living under the thumb of the Dvali means not a wink of sleep for Prague's favorite neurotic "doctor". Jensen offers to help with that and they strike up an agreement.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm bad at summaries... They kiss I promise.
> 
> this is my first time publishing a fic to con crit is appreciated!!
> 
>  
> 
> content warnings for   
> \- light drinking of a pretty dubious substance   
>  (it's moonshine)  
> \- very briefly mentioned canon-typical   
>  violence  
> \- brief mentions of the fire / fire trauma

Loud music thumped, echoing off the damp walls of the lab, every song, every note somehow louder than the last.  
Koller groaned, clutching his head as it seemed to be throbbing to the beat of the music. He jabbed a nearby tablet with his finger, turning the music off and leaving himself with throbbing sans a funky rhythm.

It had been days, though he was unsure how many, since he had gotten in even just a cat nap. With the Dvali around every corner, he felt like he couldn't risk it. If he let his guard down for a second Otar could send his men to kill him or burn down something else he loved - or worse, he supposed, there was always a worse.

He shuddered at the thought, pushing it out of his mind. He could keep himself awake and distracted with busywork and caffeine - he glanced at his desk realizing it was absolutely littered with empty cups of coffee and energy drinks.  
Well… busywork, anyway.

Picking up the tablet he had used earlier, he opened one of his many many to-do lists. Václav was surprised to see Jensen's name at the top of his list. He didn't remember writing it, but he gave himself props for being hilarious.  
It dawned on him that it was just a reminder to call the detective about a tune up and laughed under his breath.  
He left it unchecked as he tried Adam's commlink. You know, just in case.

"Koller? What is it?" Adam's voice crackled to life.

"Jensen! Hey! I'm not in mortal peril this time, so don't sound so worried, man!" The doctor sounded more excited than he had intended to, probably something to do with the dangerous levels of caffeine in his body.

"So, what is it, doc?" Adam sounded amused at least, to Václav's relief.

"Right!" He threw his hands up excitedly, knowing Jensen couldn't see them, "You're on my to-do list!" He heard a soft chuckle through the commlink before he realized what he had said.  
"For a tune up, I mean. Not - not you, you, that would be-" Going great, Váša! "Just a tune up, man." Very good, irresistible, even.

"Yeah, I figured." Koller could hear the smile in Adam's voice. It was nice, softer than he was used to hearing from him. "Can I come in now? I'm not far."

"Yeah, man!" Václav didn't mean to sound so eager, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't.

"Great." The commlink chirped, indicating Jensen had closed it. The doctor sat back in his chair, still smiling. 

"Hey." Jensen's voice startled Václav, almost out of his chair.

"Jeez, you said you were close, I didn't realize that meant right outside my door, man." He laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"I was in the sewer system." Adam answered matter of factly.

"You spend a lot of time down here?" Václav joked, pushing himself up out of his chair.

Adam opened his mouth to answer, but closed it immediately, watching with concern as the doctor wobbled where he stood. "Hey…" The detective stepped forward reaching out to steady the other man.

"I'm good, man. Sometimes I just kinda black out when I stand up, it's just a thing." Václav smiled, steadying himself on Adam's shoulder.

"When was the last time you slept, Václav? You look like shit." Jensen's tone was more serious now. Maybe because he was basically holding the doctor up from crumpling like a used tissue.

"Thank you, I'm trying some new eyeliner today." Adam just raised an unamused brow.  
"I don't know, man," He tried to laugh it off, meeting Adam's gaze just as he pulled back his shades. The doctor felt like he was sweating bullets. Something in his concerned look was so knowing and sympathetic, Václav hated it. Of course Adam knew how he felt, but it made him feel even more helpless. And tired. So fucking tired.

"I'll wait." He said, his expression softening, "You'll be safe while I'm here, no one will get in." 

Václav opened his mouth to protest, but all that came out was a yawn. Maybe he did need some sleep, after all. The offer wasn't a bad one, he knew Jensen could - he had - taken Otar's men and won. 

"Yeah…" he said, exhaustion dripping off his words. "You don't have to, though. I've gone longer without sleep." That just garnered an even more exasperated look from Jensen.

"Go to sleep, Koller." Adam rolled his eyes fondly, gently pushing the other man in the direction of his bed. "I'll be here when you wake up."

Václav smiled genuinely, flopping down on his mattress, not bothering to even take off his coat. "Thanks, Adam. You're really…" Another yawn. "Půvabný…"


	2. Chapter 2

Václav didn't really dream, just sort of flashes and rapid thoughts. He liked it better that way.  
His "dreams" were rather pleasant, flashes of black alloy and a soft smile, but he was woken up by … something. 

Sniffing the air, he rubbed at one of his eyes. Coffee, maybe? Or some other beverage that is heated and smells bad?

The doctor stiffened. Smoke? Was the Time Machine on fire? Burning down into nothing but a heap of ash, everything destroyed, hundreds of books lost forever — he opened his eyes, breathing heavily.

It couldn't be the Time Machine, he thought. It can't burn down twice. The thought sent a now familiar ache through his chest as he pushed himself up against his headboard for support. He hated waking up anxious, it felt like all his sleep was cancelled out by one sharp, stabbing, thought.

"Morning." Adam's voice came from across the lab where he was unpacking what looked like take out bags. "Or, I guess, very late at night."

Koller smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. His anxiety dissipated as quickly as it had come, seeing Adam. He felt safer than he had in a long time. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sleep all day." Jensen just put his hand up, waving the other man off, and brought a plate full of food over.

"Had a friend in the sewers run and bring us some food." He explained, handing the plate over. Koller graciously accepted, recognizing the smell as one of his favorite take out places.

"Wow, thanks, man." He struggled with the chopsticks briefly, much to Adam's amusement. Never could get the hang of them, for all the work he put into his hands.

The detective sat on the end of the bed, not eating anything, Václav noticed. "Not hungry?" He asked between bites, futilely trying to read Adam's face while his shades were up.

"No, I ate." He was lying, but Koller didn't push. Eating could be hard, he got that. "You look better already." Adam gestured towards the doctor, "Less like an animated corpse."

"Aw, shit." He joked, "Now how am I going to scare away the robbers and hitmen?" The joke fell flat, Václav's smile fading as Adam's jaw tightened.

There was a pointed, heavy silence that Koller hated more than anything. It seemed to go on forever until Adam pulled back his shades and looked at the other man earnestly.

"I can take care of him, you know." He starts, "It's not outside my jurisdiction, he's a wanted man - they all are."

Koller sighed heavily, placing his plate on his nightstand, chopsticks neatly on top. "Jensen it's not just Otar. Sure if he's gone I'll be okay for what? A week, at most. Until one of his men decides it'd be fun to beat the shit out of the clank in the lab."

Adam frowns at the word, his brow furrowing in thought. Václav was right. Of course he was right, he was a genius. "I can figure something out, Václav. I promise I can, you just have to trust me."

The man's eyes were almost pleading and it made Koller want to pull up the covers and hide there until the Dvali burnt down his lab, too.  
Just trusting someone wasn't easy when you lived like he did. He hated to admit it, but it was especially hard to trust someone like Adam. He was basically a cop, he had to follow rules and why wouldn't he put his job before someone like Václav?

But he never had, had he? Every time the doctor called, Adam was always right there, dropping everything if he was in danger. He checked in on him even when nothing was wrong. He was there after the fire, ready to take on the full force of the Dvali for what they did.

Koller blinked, the faintest hint of a smile on his face. "Okay." He relented, still not entirely certain, but reassured at least.

Adam smiled, not pushing the issue any further. He reached across the bed, grabbing the plate to steal some small bites.

"Hey!" Despite his protests, Václav was smiling, too. It seemed easy to smile with Adam, natural, even. 

"I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully." He handed the plate back to Václav, standing and stretching. He pretended not to notice the gaze lingering on him as he pulled his arms upward. "Call me if you need anything."  
His voice was genuine, smiling fondly at the admittedly a bit disheveled doctor. 

"Okay. Don't die or anything." Václav says, yawning still, but resigning himself to being awake again. "It'd be such a waste." He was referring to the augs, obviously, but the look Adam gave him made a blush creep across his face all the same.

"You got it, doc." With the click of his shades falling back into place, Adam was gone again.

Václav fell back into his bed with thump, tossing his plate haphazardly on the ground. He rolled his eyes at the stupid smile still on his face.  
_One cute joke and you're head over heels, Váša. What the fuck is wrong with you?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shorter chapter but u know
> 
> [václav voice] fuck blue lives man

It had been a few days since Václav had heard from Adam. Not that he was worried, Jensen could take care of himself, facing terrorists and… well, whatever it was that he did.

That didn't stop Václav from being a little too excited when his commlink chirped, indicating a call.

 

"Jensen!" He answered cheerily. He needed to get out more.

 

"Hey." The man sounded kind of gruff and his voice was … echoing? As if he was in a box.  _ Was _ he in a box? 

 

"Where are you? What is that noise?" Václav asked, adjusting the volume of the call quickly.

 

"Air duct. That noise is gunfire. Or something. Hard to tell in here." Adam answered, clearly preoccupied. 

 

Václav paused for a minute. He was confused, but to his own amusement, not surprised. "And why are you calling me from such a luxurious location? You should be taking in the view and shit, man." 

 

"Ha ha. Have you been out of your cave at all recently?" Come to think of it,  _ no _ he had not! It had been at least two days since Koller had been above ground. He didn't really need to be, or want to be for that matter.

 

"Maybe." He answered, sounding almost guilty. He  _ really _ needed to get out more. "Why? Did something else blow up?" He probably shouldn't have been joking about that, especially with Jensen.

 

"Not exactly." Adam's chuckle was reassuring, "The state police instituted a curfew, they're arresting anyone out tonight." He paused, "I say arresting, but that's probably not what they're doing at all." 

 

Václav sneered.  _ Kurva prasata _ .

 

"That still doesn't explain why you're in an air duct." The doctor pointed out, swallowing the anger he felt towards the police.

 

"I am," Adam grunted, "on my way to you as we speak, and since I am a fun wrench shaped target, I am taking the  _ scenic _ route. As to avoid perforation by bullet." Václav laughed, rolling his chair over to where he could access the button for the door.

 

"Well, my door is unlocked, man. Take your time, take in the view, pick me up a souvenir." 

 

"Oh, sure, what size shirt are you?"

 

Before Václav could answer with a witty remark, Adam spoke again over some commotion. "Boss is calling, I'll see you in a bit." With that familiar chirp, Václav was alone again.


	4. Chapter 4

He waited for hours, locking and unlocking the door at least a dozen times. Jensen probably got held up and wasn't going to come tonight. But he said he was and usually kept him in the loop about that sort of thing. 

He settled on unlocked for a least another hour,  _ but locked after that _ , he bargained with himself.

 

He passed the time tinkering with whatever was on his desk at the time, scrolling social media, trying to listen to music but getting too nervous that the sound would drown out warning signs of oncoming dangers. 

 

The doctor contemplated calling Adam again, but decided against it. Interrupting his work would probably be dangerous. He couldn't help but wonder what he was doing. Maybe he was just going absolutely Terminator on the state police. But that wasn't really his style, was it. The thought was nice, though.

 

With a hefty sigh, Václav leaned his chair back and put his feet on his desk. This kind of sucked. If he wasn't so stupidly fixated on Adam it wouldn't be a problem, but he was worried. Genuine, real worry, the kind that made his stomach turn. The kind that he usually only saved for himself. 

 

Before Václav could wrap himself up entirely in his thoughts, he was startled by the sound of brick against brick. Instinctually, he reached for the nearest thing he could use as a weapon. This time, it just so happened to be a spare arm.

 

"Interesting choice." Jensen's voice was tired.

 

"Jesus, man, what took you so long?" Václav tried to sound angry, tossing the arm into a box of parts, but it just came out concerned.

 

"Duty calls." Adam shrugged, making his way over to the other office chair. " _ Long _ night."

 

Václav could tell. "Are you okay?" He asked, standing to grab a water bottle. 

 

"Mostly. I managed to avoid perforation by bullet." The detective cracked a smile gesturing to his mostly clean jacket.

 

"You have got to teach me how to do that." Václav laughed, holding the water out to Adam who graciously accepted.

 

"Oh, it's pretty easy," he said, taking a quick gulp, "you just have to be invisible ninety percent of the time."

 

"No wonder you're so tired." The doctor remarked. It made Adam laugh, though his voice was still full of exhaustion. "Seriously, man, you should be more careful, you're going to melt something." 

 

"That's sweet."

 

"Shut up." Vâclav turned back to his desk, hiding the tiniest of blushes. "What were you even doing all night?"

 

"I'm not at liberty to say." Adam said, his voice feigning a serious tone. "But I will." He set the water down and folded his hands together, as if he was preparing to tell a story. 

"There was this gang… mob… mafia thing. They were key contributors to a potential terrorist attack and doing all sorts of nasty, very illegal stuff." 

 

Václav's chest tightened, not in fear but anticipation. He turned back towards Adam. "The Dvali?" He asked, trying not to let his feelings bleed through his words.

 

Adam nodded. "Specifically Otar and Radich. They are, at this moment, breathing through tubes and in the hands of Interpol."

 

"Wow." Václav couldn't help smiling. "You actually did it."

 

"What, you didn't believe me?" Adam smiled back.

 

"Wow!" Václav said again, this time more animated. This was going to complicate things  _ so much _ , but he felt positively bubbly. He could sleep. He could do his job. He could leave his lab. He probably wouldn't, but the possibility was exciting!

 

"We should drink!" Václav exclaimed after a moment of just standing and vibrating in his boots. He reached under the desk to grab a bottle of unmarked clear liquid and two mismatched cups.

 

Adam raised an eyebrow at the bottle. " _ What _ is that?"

 

"Don't worry about it, man." The doctor filled both cups, probably more than was advisable. He handed one off to Jensen who stood from his seat to meet him halfway.

 

Adam flicked on his Smart Vision aug to inspect the drink for just a moment before Koller objected. "Hey! That's cheating!" Putting his hand over the cup, "I'll take it back." he warned playfully.

 

Adam smiled and pulled the cup towards himself, out of Václav's reach. "I didn't say I wasn't gonna drink it."

 

"Good. Na zdraví!" Václav raised his glass briefly before taking entirely too big a drink. Adam chuckled and followed suit, being a little more responsible.


	5. Chapter 5

"Yeah, one time," Václav spoke with hands, excitedly telling his story to Adam. "I found some of his guys outside my place and I guess they were supposed to be spying on me or something, but they ended up getting in a fight with each other. I would have never known they were there if one of them didn't start yelling about the other guy's mother." The men shared a laugh for a few minutes, Václav collapsing back into his chair at one point. 

 

They had been talking and laughing for what felt like hours, Adam listening intently while the doctor went on tangents about things he didn't really understand. It was nice to listen to, all the same. 

 

Adam had thankfully convinced Václav that they didn't need any more of the drink he had poured them. It was probably something like turpentine. It tasted like turpentine. Or cleaning fluid. Adam decided not to dwell on it.

 

He could tell that Václav was tired, not just from the seemingly permanent dark circles under his eyes, but how he seemed to be dragging his words behind him. Adam was tired, too. He was tired hours ago, but he was happy to spend his time with the other man.

 

"You should try to get some sleep." Adam suggested, pausing to yawn, himself.

 

"Maybe." Václav smiled, "I can actually do that now." It was such an enormous weight off his chest, feeling free to live without a fight around every corner. Even still, old habits were hard to kill. 

"I kind of liked our arrangement, though." He smirked.

 

"You make a habit of letting people watch you sleep?"

 

"No, just you. As long as you're not spending your nights watching anyone  _ else _ sleep." Adam rolled his eyes with a fond smile and stood up. Václav almost protested, not sure whether Adam intended to leave. 

 

The detective just pushed Václav's rolling chair towards the bed, tipping him onto it once they were close enough. 

 

A muffled, indignant, huff came from Václav as he wiggled onto the bed properly. He sat up and gave Adam a pout. "You should sleep, too." 

 

His first thought was to protest, he didn't need to sleep as much as other people. The look on Koller's face made him reconsider, though. The other man seemed anxious, like his sleep schedule banked on Adam being there. Maybe it did. He certainly looked like someone who hadn't slept in days.

 

"Václav are you still too afraid to sleep?" 

 

"No!" He answered too quickly, frowning, "I'm not afraid I just don't think it's safe."

 

Adam chuckled, "That's the definition of afraid, Václav." He took on a seat on the bed next to the doctor. "Do you want me to stay?"

 

Václav felt his breathing speed up. He didn't have to ask last time, Adam just  _ knew _ . Why couldn't he do the same super spy mind reading thing again and make it easy on him? "I said I liked our arrangement." He answered quietly.

 

"You also said I'm not allowed to watch other people sleep, so I'm gonna have to cancel some appointments." Adam smirked, not flinching when Václav slapped his arm playfully.

 

"We're in an  _ exclusive _ sleep watching agreement." He joked, pretending he didn't feel the butterflies in his stomach making a fuss. 

 

"You didn't say that, I just assumed we were free to watch other people!" Adam raised his hands in mock exasperation. "Honestly, Václav you've gotta communicate or this just isn't gonna work out." 

 

Václav rolled his eyes with a soft smile, trying to hide how affected he was by their cute little joke. His heart felt like someone was tugging on it relentlessly.  _ Probably the stupid little šotek in my soul that gets too invested in people _ , he thought. 

 

"Do you want me to get the lights?" Adam offered, probably mistaking Václav's introspection for sleepiness. 

 

"Sure, just…" The man gestured to a tablet on the desk across from them. Adam nodded, walking over to grab it. Václav wiggled out of his shoes, pushing them off with his toes, and threw his coat on the ground.

 

Adam looked from the coat to Václav with an exasperated look.

 

"What? That's where it goes. Don't judge my system, man." 

 

Adam didn't say anything, just removed his own coat and leaned down to pick up Václav's off the floor. He tossed them both over the back of the chair at the desk, hitting the lights with a quick movement on the tablet.

 

It was still very bright in the lab with the lights off, dozens of screens illuminating surfaces softly. 

 

"Thanks." Václav leaned back in his bed, wrestling with the sheet he used as a blanket for a minute before settling down into a comfortable position.

 

"Good night, Václav." Adam sat back down at the end of the bed, stifling a yawn.

 

"Good night, Adam. Thank you." Adam didn't miss the softness in the way Václav said his name.


	6. Chapter 6

He made it maybe ten minutes before he started swaying, his eyelids becoming incredibly heavy. Sure to be silent, he yawned again. 

 

"You can sleep if you want. The bed is pretty big." Václav said groggily, he was obviously fighting the same battle against sleep that Adam was.

 

"Can't. Gotta watch you sleep. There's an arrangement." 

 

Václav laughed through his nose, "I'll give you the night off, just this once." 

 

Adam couldn't really fight sleep for much longer and he knew it. He sighed and kicked his own shoes off, tucking them neatly next to the bed.

He turned on his Smart Vision so he could very carefully position himself on the bed, not touching the other man at a single point. 

 

The excitement squeezed at his chest, as he laid his head down on the pillow. It smelled like Václav, he surprised himself by recognizing the man's smell. He thought he had his breathing more under control, but he was caught up in thought and it began to get shaky. 

 

Václav didn't have his breathing under control at all, his chest felt like it was going to explode and implode at the same time. The distance Adam had put between them so carefully was infuriating. This stupid little dance they were doing is what teenagers did at sleepovers, they were adults in a mutually consenting, exclusive, sleep watching agreement. Why was this so hard?

 

The doctor tried to deliberate on what he could say or do. He could, hypothetically, just turn around and kiss Adam right on his stupid perfect mouth. The thought made his face flush. Okay, so, he definitely wasn't going to do that. But he had to do something, even if the anxiety in his throat was threatening to drown him.

 

_ Fuck it! We all die anyway! _

Václav flipped over in a swift movement to face Adam, who looked surprised to be eye to eye with the other man. 

 

"Yes?" Adam finally asked after a moment of silence, his voice amused. 

 

Václav had this whole speech he was going to say and be cute and funny and irresistible, but all he could do was stare at Adam, his features gently outlined by the blue glow of screens. The man's breath caught in his throat. "H-hey." He eventually managed to get something out. Definitely not what he wanted, but it was certainly a word.

 

Adam laughed softly. "Hey." He repeated with a smile, not looking away.

 

"Do you-" Adam waited patiently for Václav to gather his thoughts and, hopefully, finish his sentence. Instead of speaking, he moved his hand, letting it hover next to Adam's face in an unasked question.

 

Adam smiled and tilted his head to meet Václav's hand, the metal feeling strange against his skin. It sent a hot flash off excitement through his stomach. 

 

A thumb gently traced Adam's cheekbone all the way up to the black metal around his eyes. Václav was fascinated by the man's augmentations, he thought they were beautiful. Everything about him was beautiful.

 

A black alloy hand reached up to rest on top of Václav's. He wasn't sure if Adam wanted him to stop, so he stilled his hand and tried to read the other man's expression. 

 

"Can I kiss you?" Adam's voice was just above a whisper, but Václav felt the words through his whole body, like he was standing on a loudspeaker. He had been waiting, aching after Adam for so long and he was  _ asking _ to kiss him.

 

Václav could only bring himself to nod, maybe one too many times. Adam smiled and closed the distance between them, their lips meeting in a timid, gentle dance. 

Adam was careful, a hand now splayed across Václav's chest. It moved with every rise and fall of his breath.

 

Václav pulled away first, realizing he had forgotten how to breathe in all his excitement. The feeling of Adam's hand on his chest seemed to freeze his lungs, if freezing could be perfectly warm. It froze his whole body when it trailed upwards, gently pushing into Václav's hair. He couldn't help pressing into the touch he had thought about so much these past few months.

 

They laid in comfortable silence for some time, hands exploring gentle touches they were both still unsure of. Václav loved the smooth, cool feeling of Adam's hands on his skin. The hard metal somehow touched him in the softest way he had ever felt. 

 

Their breathing was more even now, almost in sync as they were reminded of their exhaustion - even the excitement in Václav's chest couldn't fight off the sleep he had been avoiding for days. A yawn escaped him and he settled his head on Adam's broad chest. 

 

"You're gonna be here in the morning, right?"

 

"Of course, Václav. I'm not going anywhere."

 

"Not even to piss?" Václav could feel Adam's laugh, the soft sound buzzing through his head.

 

"Good  _ night _ , Václav."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u for reading   
> i love u...


End file.
